Mission Accomplished
by Ismeme
Summary: Erza never fails at a challenge, that's a fact. But when tasked with the job of installing some self-confidence in Juvia, no matter how hard she tries, things don't always go quite according to plan. One-shot, Gruvia.


A/N: Okay, this is my first Fairy Tail one-shot, so don't be cruel. I kind of felt bad for Juvia and then this hit me. Also, if you like this, please check out my other FT fics. I hope you like it and please review.

* * *

Makarov watched as the timid girl weaved her way out of the unruly crowd. Unlike the others, she found no reason to fight or get involved, and if she did have one, she was too shy to speak up about it. She slithered her way to the bar where he was perched, pretty much to only place no currently having Mages thrown into it. Scratch that, Elfman just went flying over the counter. Wonder who managed to pull that one. The girl crouched by one of the stools, barely avoiding the hail storm of magic.

"Aw, Juvia, don't you want to join the fun?" Makarov joked. She just crouched lower.

"Juvia doesn't like fighting. Juvia only fights when she has to." She screeched and jumped away as a flying Natsu barely missed crashing into her. He recovered not a second later, literally giving off steam of rage.

"Bastard, you'll pay for that one!" Gray just smirked and held his fists up. As expected, he was in little more than his boxers, a fact that made Juvia blush. Makarov noticed and figured there would be no better time to bring it up.

"So, you and Gray, huh?" She opened her eyes wide, looking up at him with a wholly shocked expression.

"W-what?" She stumbled.

"Oh, I guess that wasn't the best way to approach it. I mean, why don't you say anything to him? I'm sure if you asked he'd be glad to go on a date with you." He didn't know how it was possible, but sounded like she was choking.

"Oh, no, no no no. Juvia can't ask Gray-sama on a date. She can't." She said the last part low, her eyes trained on him as he and Natsu went at each other like children.

"Why not? The least he can say is no." She seemed to sadden at the prospect.

"Juvia doesn't think he'll say yes." Now how could you not feel bad at that? She looked so heart broken and her voice trembled with every word, and Makarov couldn't help but feel his heart sink. Poor girl.

He understood why she would think that. Not only has she been an outcast most of her life, but Gray could be, for lack of a better term, a bit cold. It was obvious neither of them would be the one to initiate anything, and though he hated getting involved in his children's personal lives, he knew he had to help. But first, keep Fairy Tail from plundering each other to death. Luckily, that solution arrived quickly.

A Mage, decked in state of the art armor and dragging an over sized sword, strolled through the doors, not giving a second look to the fight around her. Makarov's eyes caught with hers, and she knew what she had to do.

"That's enough!" Erza shouted in an authoritative tone. Everyone turned, shocked at the baritone voice, and upon noticing who it came from, knew that it would be best to shut the hell up.

"Thank you." She smirked and continued her stroll to the bar. As quickly as it had started, the fighting died down.

"Nice one." Mirajane commented, pulling out a cold drink for the Mage.

"All in a day's work." Erza remarked with a smirk. Juvia tentatively rose from the bar and slipped into a seat beside the Mage. It didn't take a genius to tell she was intimidated by the strong woman.

"Ya, that was really amazing, Erza-san." Said Mage turned and gave the water woman an odd look. She had never really heard Juvia talk to her, at least not without being forced to.

"I can say the same for you. You don't even have a scratch." She waved for Mirajane to get her another drink.

"Oh, that's because Juvia hid. Juvia's scared of fighting, especially with her nakama." Erza chuckled. Had she not been so cute it probably would have been hard for her to fit into Fairy Tail.

"Well, that's what you have me for. To put all these buffoons in their rightful place."

"Juvia wish she was that strong." Her head fell a little, and just like Makarov, Erza felt a little pity.

Erza's eyes caught with said guildmaster, and a silent conversation passed between them. Finally, an agreement was made and Erza turned back to the depressed water Mage.

"What would you say if I could change that?" Erza asked.

"What do you mean?" Erza knew this wasn't going to go anywhere unless she took action. Anyways, being polite just really wasn't in her nature.

"I mean, I'll make you strong, just like me. You want to be respected and treated the way you deserve?"

"I guess so." Juvia mumbled.

"Then come with me, and I'll show you all my special tricks. By the time I'm done, people will be afraid to look you in the eye." The last part probably wasn't what she wanted, but she perked up anyways.

"Are you sure? Do you really want to waste your time of Juvia?"

"I never waste time. Just watch, a few days from now you'll have a whole new outlook on life." She stood and put her hands firmly on her hips, looking with a gaze that made Juvia want to crawl into a hole.

"O-okay." Juvia surrendered. Erza smiled and grabbed her plate, which had a fresh slice of cheesecake on it. She gave Juvia one last smile before marching out the door.

"Meet me at noon, tomorrow." She commanded, before disappearing out the guild's doors.

"Yes mam." Juvia said, despite the fact that she could no longer hear her. She sounded frightened, her voice trembling even worse than usual. Oh boy. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

"What was that about?" Gray complained as he took the seat the knight Mage had just occupied. Juvia pretended not to notice him, and failed horribly.

"Hey, are you gonna answer me?" He brought a glass up to his lips.

"Oh, yes. Erza-san is going to teach Juvia how to be strong." He set his drink down and gave her a quizzical look.

"Strong? That seems stupid. You're already strong. Maybe not as strong as Erza, but still pretty powerful." She blushed at his compliment.

"No one thinks Juvia is strong."

"I do." Her head whipped around as he took another shot from his drink. Most of his clothes were back on, much to her disappointment.

"You really think so?" She asked.

"Of course." Her stomach constricted and her throat caught. Despite his cold demeanor, he sounded sincere. She felt a new confidence rise in her chest. Yes, she would do this. She would become strong. For Gray.

Hopping up from her chair, she raced out the doors, already anxious to begin training. Gray watched her as she disappeared, before turning back to the bar. Mirajane was looking at him with an amused smile.

"What?" He asked with an indifferent expression.

"Oh, nothing." She said as she refilled his drink. For someone so smart he was a bit oblivious. That, or he realized Juvia's feelings for him and chose to do nothing. But that couldn't happen. Because then she'd have to kill him.

"I don't think Erza is all she's cracked up to be. Take away that big sword and what does she have?" Gray grumbled.

"I'd like to see you say that to her face." He shrunk away just the slightest. Even he knew that wasn't a good idea.

"Well, she better not go to hard on Juvia." Mirajane smirked and leaned forward, elbow resting the counter.

"And why not?" He backed away from her sudden devious expression.

"Nothing. It's just. . .she's fragile. Erza might break her." She let out a chuckle. Who would think that Gray was protective?

"Sure, buddy, sure."

"What? I'm telling the truth." He grumbled and turned around to watch the guild.

Mirajane couldn't help but smile to herself. She knew just as well as Erza what this was really about. Giving Juvia the guts to confront Gray, even if it breaks her heart. Which he won't. Because, like it was said earlier, she'd have to kill him. But for now, all they could do was wait and see how this turned out.

Sadly, things never did seem to go according to plan.

* * *

Juvia struggled to catch up with Erza as she made her way down the square. Juvia had no clue why she chose here, of all places, to try and teach her, but she was too afraid to question it. Finally, Erza stopped in front of a small dress store, opening the door and ushering her in. They made their way to the back, next to where the dressing rooms where. Erza turned to Juvia with a determined expression.

"Um, Erza-san, why are we here?" Juvia finally forced the words out.

"Simple. We're here to teach you to be strong." Now that made exactly no sense.

"Oh, okay." Juvia couldn't even think of a proper way to respond.

"First things first, pick out a dress." She pointed to the racks of clothes next to her, and with a confused expression, Juvia began going through them and picking ones out. Of course, they were all blue, from dark cobalt to light azure. She returned to Erza, holding the pile of dresses firmly in her hands.

"Okay, I picked out the dresses. Now what?" Erza smiled, pulling the dresses from her hand and tossing them to the ground several feet away. On top of being confused, Juvia was shocked.

"But, Erza-san, you said-"

"I know what I said. And you did your job just fine. But this is about being strong, and in order to be strong you have to go out of your comfort zone. Here." She walked over and pulled out a bright red cocktail dress.

"Put this on." She tossed it at her and shoved her into the tiny dressing room. Juvia struggled to get it on, and nearly puked when she saw the unnaturally bright color against her skin. Erza pounded on the door and reluctantly, Juvia came out.

Erza quirked her eyebrows. "Not bad." She twirled her fingers, demanding Juvia spin. She did a little twirl and the ends flared up, attracting the attention of some nearby shoppers.

"See, now is that so bad?" Erza asked.

"Yes." Juvia wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't like the bright color or the attention she got for it.

"Come on, you look gorgeous. And it's only the first step. Follow me." Erza tossed some money onto the counter and strolled out the door. Juvia tried to slip back into the dressing room to get rid of the bright dress, but Erza caught her at the last second and dragged her out the door. People on the square stopped to stare at the bright red girl, both in dress and in skin.

"Now, do what I do. Square your shoulders, tilt your head up, take big steps, and walk like you own the world." Erza demonstrated and on cue people parted to let her through. Juvia poorly tried to imitate her, but looked more constipated than confident.

"No, walk with more ease. Don't pay attention to them. They don't matter. Remember, you own the world." Juvia once again tried, but wound up tripping only to be barely saved in time by Erza.

"That's okay. Let's try this again. Now, a one, and a two, and _walk_." She picked up the pace again, but quickly noticed that she was no longer being followed. She turned around and there stood Juvia, not moving a muscle. She looked sad, like she was walking to her grandmother's funeral.

"Come on, it's not that hard." She walked up and poked the girl's shoulder.

"For Juvia it is." Her head fell and she watched her toes. Erza sighed. She had battled three ton monsters that were easier than this.

"Fine then. Let's try something different." Juvia peaked her head up, looking no more confident.

"Repeat after me._ I love pickles._" She gave her a quizzical look.

"You like pickles, Erza-san?" Erza facepalmed.

"That's not the point. Just repeat what I said."

"Okay. _Erza-san loves pickles_."

"No, try it again. _I love pickles._ You're referring to yourself, not me."

"Oh, I get it. _Juvia loves pickles_." She facepalmed. Again. The whole point was for her not to refer to herself in third person.

"No, repeat after me, word for word. _I love pickles._"

"_Erza loves pickles._"

"No! That's wrong!"

"You don't love pickles Erza-san?" She groaned. This was not going the way she planned.

"No, no. I mean, yes, I've never liked pickles, but that's not the point! Just repeat what I said."

"_Erza loves pickles._"

"No! Pickles! I mean, damn!" Erza felt like flipping a table. Luckily for them, there were none around. Juvia was looking at her with a concerned expression, and she forced herself to calm down.

"Okay, let's just forget about that exercise." Erza turned and began thinking. Nothing seemed to be working. She wouldn't be Erza if she didn't have a back up plan, but she had really hoped she wouldn't have to resort to that. It didn't look like she had much of a choice.

"Well, I guess it's pointless then. Maybe Gray was right." Juvia quirked her head at the name.

"What do you mean, Erza-san?"

"Oh, nothing, just something he said to me a few days ago."

"What? What is it? Juvia wants to know!" She was tugging at her arm, begging her to give in. Erza gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay, if you must know. You see, we were talking about you and Gray brought up how he thought you were really cute." Juvia looked ready to have a heart attack. "But there was just one problem. He likes girls with confidence, who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves and take charge. Sadly, you aren't really like that. I thought I could try and fix you up to add some confidence, but it doesn't really seem like you want that. Oh well, it's not like you care what he thinks anyways."

The very first part had been honest, Gray did mention about Juvia being cute. But that was it. The last part Erza made up to help with the plan. But what's a little fib if it helps more in the long run? Juvia was jumping up and down, looking desperate and excited at the same time.

"Oh, no, that's not true, Erza-san! Juvia wants to be confident. Just watch and see, I'll be the best student you've ever had!"

"Fine, but you have to listen to exactly what I say." She gave a furious nod.

"Yes mam!" She saluted the Mage.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Juvia gave another furious nod and before Erza could say anything, dropped to the ground and began doing push ups. Erza sighed.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Why you little-" Gray's head butted with Natsu, and they looked ready to go at it. Again. Rays of spite emitted from them and there was little anyone could do to stop them from pouncing.

Who knows what they were fighting about this time, but they went at each other like children, biting and scratching and kicking. Makarov chuckled a little. It almost reminded him of when he was young. Today was just like any other day at the guild, but everything quickly changed when the guild's doors crashed open to reveal two very determined young woman. Gray stopped to see what the commotion was about, and almost couldn't believe his eyes.

The two woman strolled forward, everyone's eyes trained on nothing but them. Erza was in her regular armor and clothes, but the same couldn't be said for Juvia. She was wearing a slightly revealing red cocktail dress, and man, did she work it. Gray blushed when he realized he had been staring.

"Ay, Juvia, what happened to you?" Natsu called across the room. Juvia leaned against one of the tables and rested a hand on her hip, looking nothing like the shy Juvia they knew.

"Nothing. Why you ask?" She said it in a sultry tone, one that almost made Elfman faint. Erza smirked to herself. There was nothing she couldn't do.

"Juvia?" Gray shoved Natsu off him and slowly approached her. From up close, he could get better look at her. She was wearing a thin layer of make up that barely concealed the bags under her eyes, and the smile she wore was a proud one. He couldn't believe it. It was really her.

"Surprised?" She stood up straight and her expression went from proud to determined.

"What happened?" She pulled her chin up and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Listen, you, there's something you need to know." She gave him a harsh face and pointed her finger accusingly at him. He stared at her with a bewildered look. A small smile began to tug at her lips, and Gray knew he was in for the ride of his life.

And then, out of no where, she fainted.

Gray just barely managed to catch her in time, her head inches from the table's sharp edge. He picked her up and set her down on the table, checking to make sure she didn't have any injuries. Her chest fell softly up and down, and her expression was one of pure bliss. She hadn't fainted. She was sleeping.

Gray didn't catch on to this fact, instead scooping her up and rushing towards the guild's ER. Mirajane stopped him before he could enter the room.

"I'm sorry, but we ran out of medicine. We're still waiting for supplies." He looked shocked, but quickly recovered and raced out the guild's doors. Mirajane let out a little grin. They actually had plenty of supplies, but if this was to work it was best they were alone. She sighed.

"Look at them go." Mirajane commented as she served drinks to Erza and Lucy, who were seated on the bar's stools. Lucy turned to Erza.

"What was that about?" She asked with a curious expression. Erza let out smirk, not even trying to be modest about it.

"That, my friends, is what happens when you challenge Erza Scarlet."

"No what, forget I asked." Lucy turned back to her drink, official declaring in her head that they were all crazy.

"But I have one question." Erza snapped up her head to look at Mirajane.

"What?"

"Why'd she pass out?"

"Oh, ya, that. Well, that wasn't exactly a part of the plan. She was up all night practicing, and I had to give her some pills so she didn't panic when we reached the guild. But I think they may have gotten to her head, literally."

"You drugged Juvia?" Lucy said a bit too loud.

"Hey, what else was I supposed to do! I've fought gorillas easier than her!" Everyone turned to stare at them, horribly misinterpreting those last words.

Erza ducked her head and lowered her voice.

"Listen, it was just really hard. And if it helps her in the long run, what's the big deal?" They both shrugged, a sign that they sort of agreed. Mirajane gave a longing look at the door.

"Do you think he'll ever realize her feelings for him?" She asked.

"Who knows. Maybe he already does. Given the way he reacted back there, you know something has to happen." Lucy commented.

"It's a start." Erza said, chugging down the last of her drink. She couldn't help but be proud of her accomplishment. It was one thing to take down a five story monster, but it was another to bring to people together. She smiled to herself.

"Mission accomplished."

It would probably be a while before they returned, and chances are they won't come back a couple. Juvia would probably forget everything in her training and go back to drooling over Gray, but at the very least of it all, it really was start. And who knows, maybe she'll take some of Erza's words to heart and finally confront Gray. It really was all up to her.

Erza turned and gave a good look at her guild. So many people who were to afraid to confess their love. But regardless, they still loved each other with all their hearts. And that's what made Fairy Tail special.

Fairy Tail was a crazy guild, but they were her family, and she wouldn't trade them for anyone in the world.


End file.
